The Shot Heard Around the World

America was 2 inches away from civil war

Photo by Ben Mater on Unsplash

It’s hard to believe that America was about two inches away from a political catastrophe or even a civil war.

Not since 9/11, have I woken to such frightening news from the USA.

I had the pleasure of hosting American Methodist theologian Thom McCall for lunch that very day, where we shared our grief and disbelief that the situation in the USA had deteriorated to such a low.

Like many of you out there, I have a trenchant critique of Trump’s presidency and many of his policies, not least his election denial claims which inspired the Jan 6 riots, and his attempt to cajole Georgia’s secretary of state to procure him more votes. Likewise, the Christian Nationalism surrounding Trump fills me with dread and fear.

However, I am also a ferocious advocate of liberal democracy, where we resolve our differences with ballots not bullets, where we find a way to live with differences, we acknowledge the necessity of compromise, and accept that sometimes our favored party loses. We can do that because those of us in liberal democracies believe that the things that unite us are stronger than the things that might divide us. No-one should die for attending a political rally, whether a former president, a fireman, a veteran, a nurse, or a black lives matter advocate.

I hastened to add too, that the Protestant tradition has been mostly allergic to the notion of regicide - the English Civil War was something of an exception. John Calvin refused to sanction the assassination of monarchs:

“If we are cruelly tormented by a savage prince, if we are greedily despoiled by one who is avaricious or wanton, if we are neglected by a slothful one, if finally were are vexed for piety’s sake by one who is impious and sacrilegious ... Let us then call this thought to mind, that it is not for us to remedy such evils; that only this remains, to implore the Lord’s help, in whose hand are the hearts of kings, and the changing of kingdoms.” (Calvin, Institutes, 4.20.29).

Across church history, most bishops and theologians noted that even David did not murder King Saul when he had the chance even though Saul was “a man of blood” (see 1 Samuel 24:1-7; 2 Samuel 16:8). A king might be a tyrant, but anarchy was always worse, as something far more insidious might arise to replace even a wicked king (cough, cough, #Iraq). See more on this in Jesus and the Powers.

Political violence is not the solution to our political problems.

Tragically, however, American republicanism does suffer from repeated bouts of political violence. There have been four assassinations of sitting US presidents and several attempts on others (read here)!

Niall Ferguson wrote:

“There was a reason why Rome of Julius Caesar and Florence of the Medici were such dangerous places. Assassination was a feature, not a bug, of republican political systems. However, modern American medicine and the overblown security provided to presidents and former presidents together make it quite likely that both candidates will make it to November 5.”

He was right about the fratricidal nature of republicanism, but also a tad naive in her certainty that both candidates would make it to November 5! That is no longer a given.

In a subsequent piece, Ferguson noted too how bad things could have been if the gunman had hit his intended target:

What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13, is in equal measure shocking and baffling. An inch or two further to the left and the bullet that grazed Donald Trump’s ear would have penetrated his skull and very likely killed him. A slight gust of wind, a tremor of the assassin’s hand, an unexpected move by the former president—for whatever tiny reason, Trump lived to fight another day. 

In my mind, the assassination attempt, and Trump’s fist-punching heroism and defiance in the face of political violence, has all but sealed the election for him. And that is not even considering the immigration crisis at the border, Biden’s dementia, Democrat divisions, continued inflation, and the imminent riots that will take place in Chicago at the Democratic Convention in August (mark my words!).

The world feels very “1968,” with the rise of the far-right in Europe, assassination attempts on Robert Fico (Slovakia), and Donald Trump (America), mass protests over Israel-Gaza, continued war in Russia-Ukraine, and an Olympic games soon to be staged in Paris.

There has been a lot of talk of toning down the rhetoric and Americans needing to come together. The political class on both sides of the aisle seems to agree on the need to turn the political temperature down. But whether this sudden love of civility after a near-assassination can be sustained during a bitter and divided election season is something that remains to be seen.

More than ever we need cooler heads to prevail, for tribes to rebuke their own extremists, for peace where there is conflict, for civility where there is hatred, and for people to “pursue the things that make for peace and mutual encouragement” as the apostle Paul taught (Romans 14:19).

Pray with me that America, the land of the free, would be free of further political violence in the coming months.